[moshe.sapir]

All,

We just got our M35i in the USA. One annoying feature we noticed is that seat heating is activated every item, even though we turn it off (every time). We have the keys linked to a profile, and the car is successfully logging into that profile at startup. I would think the profile (or the car) will save the setting of not activating it.

Any tips of stopping this from happening?

[FZI89]

Originally Posted by moshe.sapir

All,

We just got our M35i in the USA. One annoying feature we noticed is that seat heating is activated every item, even though we turn it off (every time). We have the keys linked to a profile, and the car is successfully logging into that profile at startup. I would think the profile (or the car) will save the setting of not activating it.

Any tips of stopping this from happening?

This has come up before for idrive 8 as well. You have to turn off the automatic climate programme. This programme automatically cools, heats, ventilates automatically based on ambient temperature. Once this is off it keeps whatever setting you last used. And automatically turns off seat heating when you turn off the car

[donnus]

Originally Posted by moshe.sapir

All,

We just got our M35i in the USA. One annoying feature we noticed is that seat heating is activated every item, even though we turn it off (every time). We have the keys linked to a profile, and the car is successfully logging into that profile at startup. I would think the profile (or the car) will save the setting of not activating it.

Any tips of stopping this from happening?

turn off automatic climate

[MontyB1]

Automatic climate is NOT meant to turn on the seats or steering wheel. It’s a system to control the temperature of the car you have set it too. Climate control used to be a premium system only in top end cars and an extra, before that it was you set the fan speed and temperature and hope for the best. Climate you set the temp and it heats to that temperature and alters the mix of hot and cold and fan speed to the comfort level you want.

I suspect what is happening is automation where the car is copying what you have done before. Or it’s just a bug, not using climate is crazy as a solution, I wouldn’t advise that at all.

Also it seems to be random, we have auto climate on and it’s not turning the seats on but is turning the wheel on. But before it did turn the seats on as well but we haven’t changed any settings and it’s got colder. I really think it’s some sort of bug.


The BMW manual and all others we have had don’t turn the seats or wheel on when the car has been left for 30mins. That’s what it SHOULD be doing regardless of climate control settings, but they aren’t, I mean why the hell would it even turn the seat on for a passenger that isn’t even there. Hopefully BMW will fix in a future release.

[FZI89]

According to the manual, if the automatic programme is turned on, the seat heating can also be activated.

If it’s turning on the heating for empty seats, it’s definitely not meant to do so. So far that hasn’t happened in mine.

[MontyB1]

So why does an empty seat get switched on if as it states there it uses the seat occupancy, she has called this out several times it’s on but nobody is there. So if you turn this off does climate control still work or do the fans and temp just stay static? One of the features with auto I like the most is the air moved around to point to the screen if it detects moisture for example or cools more if it’s got more sun. Having had an Audi before that had none of this it’s surprising how much you miss things like this when it ‘just works’ ina BMW but the Audi it was clueless.

I will ask her what she has found recently as to what does or doesn’t turn on or off as it’s freezing temps this week to see how it evolves.

Personally I prefer the X3 way of doing it that you set what temp a seat or wheel comes on and at what level. That’s seemless and no guesswork, if this is how this is going to work then as others are finding it’s rather more random that it should be.

[FZI89]

Yeah, it’s strange that it’s turning on randomly. Could it be a faulty sensor? Although maybe that’s unlikely if the seat belt warning doesn’t go off randomly too. As you said, it’s most likely a bug. It’s annoying.

To be fair, I got annoyed by several things with the auto programme that I ended up switching it off less than a week into owning the car. My biggest annoyance was how loud the AC was on the lowest setting. I found that turning off the auto programme and manually turning on the AC/heated seats/steering wheel is much less intrusive and always works as you intended. Cold hands? Voice control to turn l on heated steering wheel. Too cold/warm? Turn on AC with touch control. Cold seats? Voice control the heated seats

[MontyB1]

Interesting the fan noise seems to be less that we remember it, not sure if one of the updates has lowered how aggressive the fans are on the lower modes as we had noticed the same issue. Can’t confirm properly but when I’ve been out in the car it does seem better than I remember it which was silly aggressive fans on the auto.

I was in it today I’m not normally and she hasn’t turned any auto programme off either or changed any other settings. She tends to be set and forget.

[FlashMonkey929]

I barely notice my fan now, but I don't think there were any software updates applied recently so suppose I just got used to it. I do notice now however, that when the Auto Start/Stop kicks in, the AC sometimes randomly just shuts completely off for a second before kicking back in. Normally at least the fan keeps going, but in this case it's like I've just shut off the car and parked it. It mainly started happening after I upgraded to the latest iPhone, but I'd be surprised if that was the cause.